Spanish Food Guide
Right on your doorstep
Eating well is one of the great pleasures of a stay on the Costa del Sol. Here is our guide to the local food – what to order, where to find it and how to eat like a local.
Spanish meal times
Spaniards eat later than most of Europe. Breakfast is light, lunch is the main meal and is usually eaten from around 13:30 to 16:00, and dinner starts from around 20:30 or later. Many restaurant kitchens close between lunch and dinner, while beach bars and tapas bars often serve food all day.
Tapas
Tapas are small plates meant for sharing. Order a few at a time, move from bar to bar and try a bit of everything. Classic tapas include:
Patatas bravas – fried potatoes with a spicy sauce.
Tortilla española – Spanish potato omelette.
Croquetas – creamy croquettes with ham, chicken or fish.
Jamón ibérico – cured Iberian ham.
Boquerones en vinagre – fresh anchovies marinated in vinegar, a Malaga favourite.
Gambas al pil-pil – prawns sizzling in garlic and chilli oil.
Chiringuitos and espetos
A chiringuito is a beach bar or beach restaurant – a true Costa del Sol institution. The star dish is espetos: fresh sardines threaded onto a skewer and grilled over an open wood fire, often in an old boat filled with sand. Pair them with a cold beer or a glass of white wine and your feet in the sand.
Fried fish – pescaíto frito
Malaga is famous for pescaíto frito – a mixed plate of lightly fried fresh fish such as anchovies, squid, small red mullet and cuttlefish. Simple, fresh and delicious.
Cold soups: gazpacho, salmorejo and ajoblanco
Gazpacho – a refreshing cold tomato and vegetable soup, perfect on a hot day.
Salmorejo – a thicker, creamier tomato soup from Córdoba, topped with egg and ham.
Ajoblanco – a traditional Malaga cold soup made with almonds and garlic, often served with grapes.
Porra antequerana – a thick tomato soup from Antequera, similar to salmorejo.
Paella and rice dishes
Paella originally comes from Valencia, but you will find good rice dishes along the coast, especially in beach restaurants at lunchtime. Try seafood paella or arroz negro (black rice with squid ink). Spaniards usually eat paella at lunch, not dinner.
Local specialities
Gazpachuelo – a warm Malaga fish soup with mayonnaise.
Rabo de toro – slow-cooked oxtail stew, popular inland.
Migas – fried breadcrumbs with garlic, chorizo and peppers, a mountain dish.
Fritura malagueña – Malaga-style fried fish.
Drinks
Sweet Malaga wine – a dessert wine made from Moscatel and Pedro Ximénez grapes.
Sherry – from Jerez in the province of Cádiz: try a dry fino or manzanilla with seafood.
Tinto de verano – red wine mixed with lemonade, a refreshing summer drink.
Coffee in Malaga – Malaga has its own names for coffee: order a mitad (half coffee, half milk), a sombra (mostly milk) or a nube (almost all milk).
Tips from your hosts
Ask for the menú del día at lunchtime on weekdays – a set lunch with starter, main and dessert at a great price.
Tipping is appreciated but not mandatory – rounding up or leaving a few euros is common.
See our restaurant guides for La Cala, Marbella and Malaga for where to eat.
Book food experiences
Want to taste it all with a local guide? Use the button below to see hand-picked tapas tours and cooking classes.